This year’s Miss Universe was meant to celebrate women on a global stage. Instead, it has become engulfed in controversy, unravelling into one of the most tumultuous seasons in recent memory.
Even with the final now behind us, allegations of rigging continue to threaten the pageant’s carefully curated narrative of empowerment and further destabilise its public image.
What began as quiet whispers of misconduct quickly gathered momentum, soon overshadowing Miss Mexico Fátima Bosch’s crowning and casting serious doubt over the organisation’s integrity.
The controversy intensified three days before the final, when judge Omar Harfouch dramatically resigned from the selection committee and accused the Miss Universe Organisation of “structural fraud.”
What Has Omar Harfouch Alleged About The Voting Process?
In a public statement, he alleged that an unauthorised group had secretly selected the top 30 contestants before the preliminary round had even taken place. According to Harfouch, the vote was allegedly conducted by individuals who were not official judges, including at least one person who had a “personal romantic relationship” with a contestant.
“In addition to the structural fraud, I was misled and publicly used to give credibility to an election process that was already compromised. The emotional trauma, reputational damage, and the significant time and energy I invested — especially in composing original music for an event that violated fundamental principles of fairness — are not negligible and will be included in the legal claims for damages and compensation,” he said in an Instagram post.
The Miss Universe Organisation swiftly denied every claim, insisting that “no impromptu jury has been created” and that all assessments followed “transparent and supervised” MUO protocols.
But the timing of Harfouch’s departure sent shockwaves through the pageant community and prompted immediate scrutiny from competitors.
What Other Contestants Are Saying About The Controversy
Several contestants later told People that Harfouch’s allegations did not feel entirely far-fetched. One contestant, who requested anonymity, said she wished the organisation had been clearer with contestants about how winners were selected.
“A certain contestant asked the judges for clarity on the voting and just how was the winner announced, and they refused to give that,” she said.
“A lot of people were wondering how the winners were announced, and was it really fair?”
Another competitor described learning about the alleged pre-selection through social media rather than directly from organisers, calling the experience “heartbreaking.” She noted the sacrifices many women had made to compete — leaving jobs, spending months preparing and, at times, pushing themselves through illness and exhaustion.
“We did this because we believed in the integrity of this organisation and the mission they told us they stood for,” she said, while thanking Harfouch “for standing up for integrity when the organisation would not.”
Although Fátima Bosch’s win was celebrated on stage, backstage the atmosphere remained unsettled. Combined with earlier controversies, including a viral confrontation between a pageant executive and Bosch herself, the accumulation of uncertainties has left many wondering whether Miss Universe can meaningfully move forward without repairing the fracture of trust.
